Life has been such an adventure since the last time I wrote a blog. My internet life has suffered a bit, but I feel like it's time to update!

Let's see, where to begin... well, I'll try to cover everything!

HEALTH

For those who have followed me over the past 6 or 7 months, I had surgery back in the spring and I'm doing infinitely better. It's something I will have to watch out for in the future, but my body is cancer free! It was a rather shitty time in my life, but I'm so thankful it's over. I was lucky to catch it in the very early stages, but not all women are so lucky. Ladies, please get a checkup regularly. Gentlemen, urge the women in your life to take their health into their own hands and see a doctor regularly.

LEARNIN'

Due to the whole health thing, last semester was pure hell, but this is my last year! As of May 2012, I will be finished and ready to move on to other adventures. I would love to go to grad school, but financially, it's not in the cards. I think I will work for a bit, then go back to school. Yes, a lot of people claim that they will and never do, but I'm certain I will. I'm a student at heart and can't imagine not furthering my education.

EUROPE

I apologize in advance, because I do not think I can fully convey how my trip to Europe changed my life. I'm not going to write a play by play. I'm just going to write about key moments. Most of them are just internal thoughts or small bits of interest. Maybe a picture or two from each city. Here it goes anyway!

Back in January, I wrote that I wanted to travel to Europe... Well I did it! With the hospitality and aid of some really amazing people, I made it to Europe. It was incredible. For an entire month, I carried my life around on my back in a 38 liter pack, riding trains through six different countries, stopping to meet and stay with amazing people.

I partied hard the Sunday night before I left. We hosted a garden party that got rained out, so 40 people crammed into our house, drank, and made my last night in the states perfect. I slept with a friend I only get to see a couple of times a year and slept really well thanks to booze and some cheap sleeping meds. I woke up the next morning, drove two hours to my hometown, left my car with my family, and hopped on a plane to DC.

In the DC airport, it hit me. While waiting on my plane, I scribbled notes in a small journal. My heart pounded in my throat. "Fuck. What the hell have I done..." I wrote in the journal. I had a backpack, my passport, and a train pass. For one month, that was going to be my life. I boarded my plane to Europe, to Paris to be exact, and it was like every apprehension I had had dissolved as the door closed. There was no turning back. I was doing this.

PARIS

My first stop. I've spent the past three years studying French, so I felt like I should go to France. The last time I traveled to Paris, I was 16 and with tour group. It wasn't a very pleasant experience. This time, I wanted to do all the things I didn't get to do the first time. I had an acquaintance that I had met through an iPhone app called Wander, so we went out my first night in Paris, drank, and I rode the metro drunk back to my hostel with a smile on my face. I was so happy to be in Europe.

VERSAILLES

LILLE

Here, I met the incredible Sinnah. She offered me a comfortable place to sleep and wonderful company. She has some of the best vibes I've ever felt from a person. So nurturing and creative. I can't write enough about how she made me feel like this trip was a good idea.

BEST APPLE PIE EVER

MUNICH

My next stop, I stayed with the adorable Fraise. She showed me such a good time! We drank so much sitting on a sidewalk the night before I had to leave for my next train. I love her sense of humor and how genuine she is. I needed someone to party with, but she was equally as fun just to talk to.

BADASS VEG CHICAGO DOG (i still have dreams about it!)

BERLIN

The cutest little thing, Nadeshda picked me up at the train station in Berlin after my hungover ride from Munich. We went to cook out and I had a blast listening to everyone speaking German. I just pretended everything was about sausages and unicorns. My stay with Nadeshda was so relaxed, but moving. She showed me the Berlin Wall, which was a very emotional moment for me. I loved how she answered all of my ridiculous questions and walked around the city for 6 hours with me. She'll be a wonderful mother is she can tolerate my silliness

NUREMBERG

The first time I was in a car (other than one drunken night in a taxi that I don't really remember) was when Vine rescued me from yet another train. Let me say, this girl can bake the most amazing cupcakes! And she is so much fun to just lounge on a couch with at a party and just talk. I love her smile! It's stuck with me since I've met her.

ALBRECHT DURER'S HOME (my nerdy love for art history made seeing this a huge moment for me!)

LEIPZIG

I was arriving in Leipzig during the Gothik Festival, and I have to say, as a little Southern girl, I was a bit nervous and had no clue what to expect. Thankfully, I had Mimmi to save me from any weirdos! I absolutely loved this woman. She and I walked around a museum that literally moved me to tears, but I felt so comfortable crying with her around. It's like she naturally puts you at ease. By this point in my trip, exhaustion was starting to set in, but staying with her was really refreshing. As cliche as it sounds, she is really a breath of fresh air, and a hell of a woman.

EASTERN GERMAN PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS

BRUSSELS

I felt bad that I didn't have more time here. My entire trip, everyone who had met Geisha raved about how adorable and sweet she is. It's completely true. Sitting in the park my only night there, I had such a wonderful time just talking to her and laughing. I loved her adorable little attic apartment. Before bed, we chatted and drank wine. I really wish we would have had more time together, but I have a feeling that I will be inviting her to my new home very soon! (this has something to do with our mutual interest in Swedish and something I will write about very by the end of this blog!)

COOLEST EXHIBIT EVER

DEN BOSCH

Here, I had the extreme pleasure of staying a few nights with Waikiki along with Menina. This was an incredible experience. I've always been fascinated by communal living, and staying with Waikiki in a squat was just staggering. I was able to see how communal living functions in reality. Beyond that, she was just an amazing person. When I say amazing, I really mean AMAZING. She has so much drive and energy and is so beautiful. Between spending my time with her and Menina, I was in awe! Menina and I spent the day in town, laughing and shopping while Waikiki was busy working. She is the sweetest little Italian beauty. From them, I've learned how warm and motherly Italian woman can be.

(Secret surprise to come: I shot a set with Waikiki! I still can't believe how talented she is. I cannot wait for it to be ready!)

BOSSCHE BOLLEN (damn delicious!)

AMSTERDAM

This city was a blur, but not in the way that you think! It was toward the end of my 3rd week of traveling and I was beyond worn out. I spent the night with a friend of Waikiki and had a blast. The Red Light District was pretty disturbing. I know that I am nude on the internet for pretty much anyone to see, but I feel like the disconnection of being on the internet allows me to retain some sort of personal distance from the disgusting things some people may say about me. As we walked around in the R.L.D, I heard men saying such horrible things about those women. I couldn't stand it. Regardless, I found Amsterdam in the day time to be quite beautiful. It was even more beautiful when I was lucky enough to have lunch with Clio! It was like meeting a celebrity and finding out that they are so down to earth and awesome. Just an hour or so on a bench was a good time. She is so smart and fierce, on top of being stunning! Some women just give off a vibe of strength and she is one of them.

(SADLY, i deleted my pictures from Amsterdam by accident! )

COPENHAGEN

I only had about 6 hours here, and I desperately want to go back! I had had a miserable ride on a night train from Amsterdam, but I still had a great time walking around some great museums. My favorite museums, honestly. I definitely plan on returning to Copenhagen very soon!

FROM THE TRAIN

GOTHENBURG

I had met another person through the Wander app I mentioned in the section about Paris. He is an awesome guy and we really hit it off from the beginning. We started talking in January, and when I mentioned that I would be in Europe, he invited me to visit him in Sweden. I had always loved Scandinavian design, so I was really excited to visit Sweden. His band was releasing their CD, so I spent most of my time with a friend of his. I went to the release party and had an awesome time. Maybe too good of a time... I was so hungover the next day that I didnt make it to the train to Stockholm. His friend and I ended up relaxing on a blanket next to the harbor, just eating strawberries in the sun. It was one the best days of my trip. I liked his friend so much, I ended up staying an extra night, and had a very hard time leaving for Stockholm the next day...

FROM OUR BLANKET SPOT

STOCKHOLM

Miserably, I moved on to Stockholm. I spent my first night in Stockholm being mopey. I went to another show for my friend from Gothenburg and met more really nice people, but I was still down and out. The next day, I was determined to buck up and enjoy my last couple of days in Europe. I went to museums and walked around the city alone. That night, I asked my friend's friend to come to Stockholm. He was on the train the next morning and my heart raced as I waited on the platform to meet him. We spent my last two nights in Europe smiling at each other and sharing a tiny bottom bunk in a hostel.

COMIC BOOK STORE DATE

LOVE LIFE

Well, Stockholm stole my heart. The most beautiful city I've ever seen. Even when I was mopey, I still loved every second of it. I'm actually currently planning my move to Stockholm next summer.

The boy from Gothenburg who followed me to Stockholm? Well, he is actually coming all the way to Tennessee to stay with me for a couple of weeks before school starts back. I will be in Sweden this December for a few weeks. He is positively perfect.